TP-Link Neffos C7 Smartphone Review

Neffos, a brand under TP-Link is an up and coming smartphone brand that hits the budget segment with their high quality and affordable smartphones. In this post, I will be reviewing the Neffos C7, a smartphone which is aimed to those who loves taking clear pictures or selfies and won't burn a hole our pocket.

This is the Neffos C7 by TP-Link and it is also known as TP910A and TP910C. It houses an Octa Core 4×1.5GHz ARM Cortex A53 + 4×1.0GHz ARM Cortex A53 CPU and MediaTek MT6750 chipset. It runs on Android 7.0 Nougat OS with Neffos UI 7.0 firmware out of the box and it has 2GB of RAM and 16GB ROM.

The display screen size is 5.5 inches IPS, HD Display (1280 x 720 Pixels) 24-bit and it has a non-removable 3,060 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery. The Neffos C7 is equipped with proximity sensor, accelerometer, compass, ambient light sensor, gyroscope and a fingerprint reader at the back. It comes in two colour option which is the grey and gold.

This unit that I am reviewing is grey in colour but it leans towards a metallic bluish grey colour instead which I personally fond of. As for the main highlight of this phone – the camera, it has a 13mp with dual LED flash and AF rear camera and at 8mp setup for the front facing camera. I'll talk more about the camera performance later on.

There's a Nano SIM Card Slot with another Nano SIM Card Slot or microSD/TF Card Slot (Hybrid sim slot) in this Neffos C7. Although the given 16GB internal memory is considered to be low at this time but it still can support external memory up to 128GB with the micro SD card slot.

It has a micro USB port at the bottom, an audio out port or the headphone jack at the top, the power button on the right side and the volume rocker right below it.

The dimension of this smartphone is 154 mm(h) x 76.96 mm(w) x 7.0 mm(d) and weight 157 g with battery. The size feels comfortable in hand with its polycarbonate unibody design. Below are the size comparison with the top of the range Neffos N1 and my old Apple iPhone 6.

The Neffos C7 is in the middle that looks identical to the Neffos N1. I will be posting another review on the Neffos N1 soon.

The sleek polycarbonate unibody on the Neffos C7 with only 5.95mm visual thickness, as well as a sophisticated CNC finish make the Neffos C7 slim and exquisite. The curvature of this smartphone adjusts hundreds of times, providing a fantastic grip that fits comfortably in your hand. It’s finished in a nanoscopic silver paste to give a cool, metallic feel in both sunrise gold and cloudy grey.

The NFUI is deeply customized from the Android system for the ultimate user experience. Intelligently predicting user behavior, this fast and smooth system continues to introduce new features that you'll fall in love with. I was quite surprised that the UI looks almost like stock Android and it has so few bloatware to begin with and those extra apps are actually quite useful. Unlike some smartphone brand that has multiple photo gallery, another app store aside from the Play Store and pre-installed social media apps.

Out of the box, the Neffos C7 is running on Android 7.0 Nougat OS with NFUI 7.0 firmware but there was a recent security patch and at this point of writing and there's a new system update to be downloaded. (Update: The Neffos C7 is currently running on Android 8.1 and it has updated the firmware to NFUI 8.0. That's a plausible update I must say for a budget smartphone.)

It's time for the main highlight and it's none other than the camera. TP-Link boast about the selfie capability on the smartphone and the 8mp front facing camera with 10-level real-time Beautify from Arcsoft gives the most natural enhancement of facial features. Its 86° wide angle also ensures no more squeezing in to get everyone in the shot. Screen Flash uses the screen to brighten the composition, creating the perfect selfie. So how would I rate the front facing camera? Well, it's alright. Maybe just average I would say.

Under artificial lighting condition, it can be slightly overexposed and can be noisy. The focusing can be a little struggling and it takes some time for me to get used to it.

It's a totally different story with the rear camera. The 13mp rear camera, f/2.0 aperture and 0.2s PDAF bring clearer, brighter, more detailed photos. Multiple photo modes are customized for you to achieve the right shot in any situation. The image captured above is sharp with nice details but the colour can be a little cool in natural lighting condition. This can be easily adjusted by changing the white balance setting on the smartphone.

My favorite mode goes to the PRO mode whereby I can change the ISO, shutter speed, white balance, EV and auto-focusing distance. Just look at the image above taken at 9PM at night. It's sharp and has good details with decent dynamic range. You can clearly see the KLCC Petronas Tower visibly made possible with the PRO mode. For a budget smartphone, this is indeed commendable.

Having a 3060mAh (TYP) battery, which maintains more than 80% of the battery capacity after 500 full charges, the Neffos C7 perfectly balances between capacity and durability. Additionally, its Smart Power Saving mode keeps battery life even longer. It lasted me a full day easily and only require to be charged during my bedtime.

Conclusion: I would recommend this if you are looking for a budget smartphone with well perfoming rear camera ability. The front facing camera is a hit or miss depends on the lighting condition. Display is sharp but the multi-touch felt unresponsive during aggressive gaming. Battery life is good, fingerprint reader is fast and the build quality is quite decent. The recent Android 8.1 OS and NFUI 8.0 firmware update are plus points on this Neffos C7.

Retailed at RM599 during the launch in March, now you can purchase this smartphone at a way lower price of RM399 on Lazada with 1 year screen crack protection, 2 years warranty and 3 months "1 to 1 exchange". What a deal!!!